Chasing The Clouds
by taytaycoco
Summary: *Prequel to Trial and Error* "Baby, running after you is like chasing the clouds." Michael


HI Guys! This is a teenage M/C fic. It is the prequel to my first story Trial and Error. The name is inspired by 1D's song, _Story Of My Life. _Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bones.

* * *

**CHRISTINE'S POV**

"Christine, I heard your alarm go off ten minutes ago! Shouldn't you be up already?"

My mother's voice makes me wake up from my comfortable sleep I had just drifted back into. I groan into my pillow and hear her knock on my door.

"I know, mom, I heard you the first time!" I snap, sitting up. The light coming in through my window makes me squint and I see my reflection in my mirror across the room. I quickly look away, not wanting to think about how bad I look when I wake up. I walk to my closet and pull out some jeans and a t-shirt and slump into my bathroom. I hear my phone buzz on the counter as soon as I walk in.

Michael: Hurry up. I have donuts.

I smile to myself as I start straightening to my hair. Michael has been my best friend for..well forever. He knows everything about me, each deep dark secret that I could never tell anyone else. His parents work with mine at the Jeffersonian downtown, and we've been together ever since birth really. I've never had an actual best friend that's a girl because I've always had Michael. When I put on my chapstick and grab my bookbag from my bedroom door, my phone buzzes again. I text Michael saying I'm ready and walk downstairs.

"About time you woke up. Here, have some breakfast before you go." My mom says when I walk into the massive kitchen, gesturing to a bagel. I shake my head.

"Nah, I'm fine. Michael texted me saying he's bringing donuts."

She nods and looks back down at a stack of papers in front of her. As if on cue, the door opens and I hear Michael's familiar sound of converse hitting our hardwood. I love how he just walks in now, no knocking or anything. He's that welcome.

"Good Morning, Michael. Did you sleep well?" Mom asks. That's so typical of her.

"Good Morning, Brennan. It was fine. Hey, C. Ready?" He says, nodding to me. I smile, nodding. I look back at my mom to say goodbye, but she's already engrossed in her work. I turn away and we walk out into the crisp November air.

"Here." Michael says, handing me a donut.

"Hey, you even got my favorite and everything! You must really love me." I tease, taking the blueberry donut. He laughs and shakes his head, looking down at his feet as we walk.

My house is a 15 minute drive to school so we have plenty of time to talk about whatever's going on in our lives at that time, even though we basically know everything there is to know.

"So how's-"

"Don't ask. We have to take him to the-"

"Vet? Is he okay? I bet it's-"

"No, Michael, my cat can't have rabies no matter how cool it sounds." I laugh, finishing his sentence. He smirks.

"It could happen! That poor cat..remember that one time on your old swingset when I was trying to hold him and-"

"Oh my gosh, that was hilarious! He completely attacked you. You still have that scar-"

"Yep, right above my right wrist. See?" He says, pushing up his jacket sleeve to show me the small white line just above his wrist. "Hey, you haven't eaten any of your donut. What the heck, that cost me a whole trip to the kitchen and everything." He says, dramatically rolling his eyes. I laugh and take a big bite of my donut, trying to make a point.

"There. Happy?" I mock. He smiles and nods.

"Very."

Hmm. For a seventeen year old, he sure did know how to act like a kid.

I finish off the donut as we walk up the steps of Washington High School. We get to the doors and, as always, he opens the door for me.

"Hey, Michael!"

"Michael, I like that shirt."

"Did you get a haircut, Michael?"

The usual comments were made at Michael as soon as we reach his locker. He was pretty popular, definitely more popular than I was. I feel my cheeks heat up just like everyday when people completely skip over me and notice him. We reach my locker and he punches me in the arm lightly.

"Alright, have a good day, C. I'll meet you this afternoon-"

"Same place, same time" We say in unison. We both laugh and I wave at him as he walks away.

* * *

I hear the crunch of my vans against the leaves as I traveled up the walkway to my front door, I stepped inside the house after waving towards Michael in his car. I check the time, 3:15. I had more than an hour and a half until I had to meet Michael at our usual meeting place. I pass my dad in the den.

"Hey, princess! How was your day?" He asks when he sees me.

"The usual. Work?"

"The usual." He says with a smile. We had this same conversation everyday after school for as long as I could remember. You'd think maybe something eventful would happen for once. I run upstairs to start on an essay that was due this Friday to pass the time.

At 4:40 I head back downstairs to find that my parents had left for a date. I went to the kitchen to get some Raisinettes before I heading to the backyard. I see Michael on my trampoline, at the usual time and the usual place. I smile to myself and run to see him.

"I see that you happen to have my favorite candy in your hand. You didn't think you could just get away with that, did you?" He smirks and tries to grab for the package.

"You're such a nerd for liking these." I tease and pull away so he can't get them.

"Look who's talking." He murmurs as he stands up and jumps back down, knocking me back and making the package fall from my hands.

"Hey!" I call out, laughing.

"Too late!" He exclaims as he grabs it before I can get to it. We collapse on top of each other, my head on his chest. I can hear his heartbeat and that calms me. He rubs his thumb over my shoulder as we look up at the sky.

"I still think that cloud looks like an Easter Bunny giving a turtle some drugs.." He mumbles and I shake my head.

"Michael, it's obviously just a sailboat. It's a plain old sailboat."

He laughs, which makes my head shake. I let his laughter fill my ears.

"What are you thinking about?" He whispers, still out of breath.

"Nothing important." I say back, and I sit up. I look back at him and he almost looks….is that disappointment? No, I'm imagining things. We sit in silence and I look around the yard into the woods that we walk through to get to and from school.

"So..uh..did you see all those flyers up in the halls today for that uh..that dance?" I hear Michael ask. I look at him.

"Yeah. The Winter Dance."

"Let me guess. You have too much homework you need to do to be ahead so you aren't going." He guesses.

"You guess correctly." I tell him, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear and pulling my knees up to my chest. I can feel Michael's eyes on me, but when I look at him he looks away.

"Oh, come on, C. Why won't you come? Just this once?" He pleads, sitting up.

"Why the sudden interest in trying to get me to go?" I throw at him. He looks down at his converse laces and messes with a loose thread.

"Maybe I-"

His reply is interrupted by his mother's ringtone.

"Hello?" He answers the phone.

"Michael! We're going out. William took Holly and Zach to the bowling alley for a few hours so you have the house to yourself until 8:30. Okay?" I hear Angela speak through the phone.

"Okay. Bye mom." He puts his phone back in his pocket.

"I love the fact the Will is only fourteen but he can just walk to anywhere, but when I was fourteen I might as well have been under lock down." He says, shaking his head.

"It's a different world, I guess. Either that or your parents just gave up." I tease, laughing. He laughs and get off of the trampoline. He holds out his hand for me and I take it and get on his back and we head to my basement. I know what you're thinking. 'Oh my gosh, your parents aren't home and you're going to the house together. You know what that means.' Yes, I know what you mean. But it's so not like that. Michael and I are basically like brother and sister and Michael would never start liking me.

* * *

** MICHAEL'S POV**

My name is Michael Hodgins, and I am completely in love with Christine Booth.


End file.
